Samsung Galaxy Tab will be available for P35,000 in November?

You may hate rumors, but this is just too juicy to pass up. We’ve got unofficial word that the Samsung Galaxy Tab will be available in the Philippines in November. Its price? Around P35,000. If this holds true, then that makes Sammy’s tablet one of the most hotly anticipated gadgets to arrive on our shores in the last quarter of this year. It’s also one of the reasons why we’ll have to kiss our Christmas bonus goodbye.

The rumored SRP might raise a few eyebrows, especially since it’s roughly equal to the iPad’s most expensive variant (64GB), pegged at $699, and taking into account the Galaxy Tab’s smaller size. Let’s see when October ends.

In the meantime, we’ve compiled a few snippets of what tech sites have to say about the device. Read on. They might convince you to give in or drop out.

They are delighted with the responsiveness of the Galaxy Tab’s screen, which they say is on a par with the iPad’s. According to them, the processor is up to the task and the device itself is better suited for one-hand handling and for reading e-books. However, they are quick to point out that Android feels a bit lacking in handling devices in this form factor. Samsung’s custom user interface, skin, and software more than make up for it, though.

They feel that Samsung’s own TouchWiz UI doesn’t feel laggy on the device and that the Cortex A8 1GHz processor’s tandem with the bright display is noteworthy. However, they find the touch screen not as receptive as they like it to be.

They say that the Samsung Galaxy Tab is the first real contender to the iPad’s crown, that it “doesn’t feel rushed or made half-hearted.” They like its sturdy yet lightweight design, its support for Flash and 1080p and DivX videos, and its ability to make calls and send SMS. However, they have an issue with apps not looking good when stretched to accommodate the 7-inch screen size.

Oh, guess what? We were also able to see and fondle the Galaxy Tab in the flesh a few hours ago, though we wish we had more time with it. Check out our hands-on photos below.

And there she is, the Galaxy Tab in the flesh! Slightly smaller than the iPad, slightly bigger than a smartphone. Thank you to our anonymous source who wishes to remain anonymous.

It looks nice and clean from the back. In fact, it kinda looks like a large iPod classic. There’s the camera in the upper right corner and a bunch of jibberish details near the bottom.

Bottom view. What you’re seeing are the touch-sensitive controls, the interface port, and the stereo speakers. It would have been better if the left speaker had been put at the top of the unit, though. That way, you can hear audio in true stereo while on landscape mode.

The SIM card slot and the microSD slot. Over on the blurry end are the volume and unlock buttons. Yes, it is an overgrown smartphone, but one that can still fit in your jeans pocket.

The browser window is smaller compared to the iPad’s, not only because the screen is more petite at 7 inches, but because the aspect ratio is 16:9. Too bad we didn’t have Internet access.

The Android home screen looks clean, especially now that there’s more real estate. Android 2.2 FTW!

One of the things we noticed is that while the the screen is very responsive, it’s not as snappy as the iPad’s. But at least it doesn’t freeze or stutter. For ebooks, 7 inches is just right, as it makes it seem like you’re holding a paperback rather than a hardbound book. That’s a can of Coke Zero in the background.